If a car hits your garage door, keep people and pets clear and do not run the opener or lift the door. Photograph the damage, call your insurance company, then have a technician check the tracks, springs, cables, sensors and opener before the door moves again. A door that looks only dented can still be crooked, off balance or unsafe.
What to do first
Check people and pets
Make sure nobody is hurt or under the door. Keep children and pets out of the garage. If you smell gas or see sparks, leave and call the utility or emergency services.
Do not run the door
Do not press the wall button or the remote, and do not try to lift or lower the door by hand. A bent track or a spring knocked out of position can make the door jam or fall.
Look from a distance
Note dented or cracked panels, a track pushed away from the wall, a loose cable, a gap in a spring coil or a door that sits crooked. Do not touch the springs, cables or bottom brackets.
Take photos and video
Photograph the door, the tracks, the car and the garage before anything is moved. Triple-I says to document the damage before cleaning up and to keep damaged items until the adjuster has seen them.
Call your insurance company
Phone your insurer soon. Ask whether the damage is covered, which policy applies and what your deductible is. Triple-I notes that if the loss is below your deductible, filing may not be worth it.
Call a technician
Ask for an inspection of the door, tracks, springs, cables, sensors and opener before anyone uses it. See garage door repair.
Why a door that looks fine can be unsafe
A hit can do more than dent a panel. Springs and cables carry the door's weight under high tension, and the Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association (DASMA) says only a trained door systems technician should adjust or loosen the bottom brackets and replace cables. Chamberlain warns that an unbalanced door may not reverse when it should.
Clopay adds that photo eyes can easily become disabled if bumped or jarred. A sensor knocked out of line may no longer protect a child or a pet, even if the door still closes.
A written list of damaged parts, with your photos, gives the adjuster what it needs. Keep every receipt for temporary protection. The California Department of Insurance says insurers reimburse reasonable costs to protect your property.
What to avoid
- Running the opener to see if the door still works.
- Pulling or hammering a bent track straight.
- Loosening any bracket or touching a spring or cable. These are technician jobs.
- Taping over or bypassing the sensors.
- Throwing out damaged parts before the adjuster says you can.
- Starting large permanent repairs before the adjuster has seen the damage.
If the opening cannot be closed
A door that will not close leaves the garage open. The California Department of Insurance calls temporary repairs one of the most important steps after a property loss and says insurers reimburse reasonable costs to protect the property. Ask the technician whether the door can be secured safely or whether a temporary cover is the safer choice, and keep the receipts.
If the wall, the header or the jamb around the door is cracked or has shifted, have a qualified contractor look at it too.
Repair or replace?
After the inspection, most hit doors fall into one of three groups: a track or roller reset, a section replacement or a new door. In our price list, off-track door repair is $175 to $450 and covers bent tracks, damaged panels or rollers. The final price is confirmed after we see the door.
See can a bent door be fixed and what an off-track door means. If the damage is severe, a new garage door may cost less than chasing several repairs.
Where we come in
Emil Garage Doors repairs and installs garage doors, openers and gates in Southern California, and our city pages cover California. We repair garage doors in Coachella, Beverly Hills and Lincoln. Call (213) 340-4232 or send the estimate form with photos of the damage, and we will tell you what the repair involves.
Questions people ask
Should I file an insurance claim for a garage door a car hit?
Get the repair estimate first, then compare it with your deductible. Triple-I says that if the loss is lower than the deductible, filing may not be worth it. Your insurer can tell you which policy applies.
Can I still use the opener after a car hit the door?
No. Leave the door alone until a technician has checked it. A bent track, a shifted spring or a knocked sensor can make the door jam, fall or fail to reverse.
What should I photograph?
The door, both tracks, any loose cables or springs, the sensors, the car and the garage before anything is moved. Keep damaged parts until the adjuster says you can discard them.
Can a hit garage door be repaired or does it need replacing?
It depends on the damage. A bent track or a few rollers can often be reset. A badly bent section may be replaced, and a door that is bent in many places may be cheaper to replace.
Read next
Sources
- Door & Access Systems Manufacturers Association (DASMA): Garage Doors safety tips
- Chamberlain Group support: How to test the balance of a garage door
- Clopay: Garage Door Safety Checklist
- Triple-I (Insurance Information Institute): How to file a homeowners claim
- California Department of Insurance: Residential Property Claims Guide